BetterBeerBlog

ToastTuesday, actually #ToastTuesday, is a hashtag thing on Twitter started by the Beer Connoisseur persona. Basically, you take a photo of yourself, upload it to one of the many image hosting sites that service Twitter, add in some comment about where you were and add the hashtag “#ToastTuesday”. The Beer Connoisseur persona then collects all the photos and uploads them to Facebook to share with the world. It’s a very clever way to get people to drink their favorite beers as well as get your brand noticed on Twitter.

I’ve been trying to participate in #ToastTuesday for the past few weeks. I think it’s fun and it gives Sammy and I something

to do on a normally, socially dead Tuesday night. So tonight, Sammy and I decided to head over to BJs Restaurant/Brewhouse located in Cupertino, just a stone’s throw away from Apple. In fact, it seems like BJs is in the Apple parking lot, it’s not, just seems like it. Sammy and I heard from our friends Diane and Mike that they have a pretty good “guest tap” selection so we used #ToastTuesday as an excuse to check them out.

If the name BJs rings a bell with you, it should. They’re a chain of brewpubs with locations all across the United States. In our area alone, there are two. Despite the name, not all BJs makes their beer in house like a traditional brewpub would. I’ve heard in the past that many of the California BJs has their beers brewed in a central location where it is then trucked off to their many brewpubs. I don’t have any confirmation of t

his but I’ll look into it.

Here are the beers we had:

• Maredsous 8, Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, 8% ABV - This beer is a Belgian-style dubbel. What tripped me out the most about this beer was the chocolate flavors I was picking up along with a very, slight roastiness. The dark fruit character, which was prune-like and raisiny, started to show up as the beer warmed up. There was enough hop bitterness to balance the style out but the sweet-ish malt character was still the primary feature of this beer.
• Monk’s Cafe, Brouwerij, Brouwerij van Steenberge, 5.5% ABV - Brewed by Brouwerig van Steenberge, this beer is an example of the Flanders Red Ale. It’s a sour ale so beware. Sammy and I both loved this beer and it got better as it warmed up.
• Jeremiah Red, BJs Restaurant/Brewhouse, 7.3% ABV - This beer is primarily malt sweet up front. There’s a low level of hop aroma and flavor. This is a full-bodied beer that I would consider “savory”.
• Petrus Oud Brun, Brouwerij, 5.5% ABV - Sammy and I are both sour ale aficionados, if you will. We love the malt sweetness in the beer, the slight wood notes and, of course, the sourn ess.

In addition to picking up some beers for #ToastTuesday, I learned that this particular BJs is hosting a Belgian beer dinner. Here’s the information:

Who: BJs in Cupertino map
What: Belgian beer dinner
Where: At the BJs Cupertino locatoin.
When: June 23th @ 7pm
Why: Why not?
Cost: $30/person

Menu:

Apertif
Brugse Zot (Brouwerij de Halve Maan)

Course 1
BJs Nit Wit with Thai Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Course 2
Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Ale (Brouwerij Van Steenberge) with Sesame Chicken Salad

Palete Cleanser
Petrus Aged Pale (Brouwerij Bavik)

Course 3
Popperings Hommel (Brouwerij Van Eecke) with Southwestern Pizza

Course 4
Gulden Drak (Brouwerij van Steenberge) with Old-Fashioned Pot Roast

Course 5
Troubadour Obscura (Brouwerij de Musketiers) with White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pizookie.

I take a look at this beer list and I’m happy to say that I’ve

only had two of the beers on the menu. It’s great to be surprised and to try new things, like this dinner for example. A 5-course dinner served with Belgian Ale for only $30/person. This is a pretty good deal so Sammy and I signed up already. My only reservation regarding the event is that most, if not all, of the dishes are readily available on the BJs menu. In that respect, they aren’t coming up with new things. On the other hand, it’s a great exercise to see how well Belgian Ales pair with “American” food. Anyone interested in joining us?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 at 1:43 am and is filed under Beer and Food Pairings, Brew pubs, Craft Beer, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.